


Misery Business, Part Three

by 6YearsABrave



Series: Misery Business [3]
Category: Baseball RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: 2013, Abuse, Atlanta Braves, Jealousy, M/M, Washington Nationals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 03:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7150307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6YearsABrave/pseuds/6YearsABrave
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bryce is going a little too far. Or maybe a lot too far.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misery Business, Part Three

It was a new season, and a new series of ups, downs, and in-betweens. Both Washington and Atlanta had come short of the World Series, but they were ready to bounce back and be more competitive than before.

The first time the Braves came to Washington in April, Bryce Harper had had the spring flu. He’d thought of nothing but Dan Uggla the whole offseason and couldn’t wait to see him again, but it was impossible, given his condition, to approach the opponents’ clubhouse. He’d only had feverish dreams of grabbing him and holding him close while his teammates had their way with him as he was unconscious. When he would wake up there were new bruises and welts on his back and legs. He thought he’d hallucinated a few times – images of Dan, of course, coming toward him, his big, strong arms held out to him. He was twenty, still very young, and had a big imagination.

But the season was also young, and Bryce was now ready. He wasn’t technically a rookie anymore – but there was still so much about him that was hidden, and still so much he had to learn. 

 

The first series they’d played, the Nationals had been swept by the Braves. It was a huge blow to the Nationals’ hopes and morale, and many of Bryce’s teammates took out their frustrations on him, much to his chagrin. But a few weeks later, the Nationals headed to Atlanta. By this time, Bryce was absolutely dying to make a move.

 

The game ended, and the Braves were now 4-0 against the Nationals. Bryce headed back to the visitors’ clubhouse with his teammates. He was itching to find Dan Uggla. 

He snuck off to change into some black clothes to stay hidden in the dark, then crept over to the home clubhouse, sticking to dark hallways. He thought he’d lost his way a couple of times, since he’d never been here, but then he heard voices. Happy voices.

“I’m out,” he heard someone say.

“See ya tomorrow,” replied a familiar voice. It made Bryce’s heart jump.

_Dan!_

He peeked over from behind a door. There was Dan Uggla, pulling on a t-shirt after he’d taken off his jersey. The other Brave he’d just said goodbye to was just disappearing out another door.

Bryce couldn’t hold himself back. He burst into the room.

“Dan!” He cried, his arms reaching out.

Dan took a step back, staring at Bryce in shock. He just stood there as Bryce threw his arms around him.

“I missed you, oh, I missed you so much,” Bryce gushed. He pressed his face into Dan’s neck, sniffing his dark hair.

“B-Bryce,” Dan stuttered, not knowing what to say. He put his hands on Bryce’s sides. But once they were there he wasn’t sure if he was pushing Bryce away – or holding him closer.

Bryce sighed. His hair brushed across Dan’s skin like flower petals. Then practically putting his mouth on Dan’s ear he whispered, “Take me…take me home with you. Please.”

There was a pause. Then, “No.”

“I’m begging you!”

“I said no!”

“But I’m dying without you!” Bryce squeezed Dan closer. “I can’t think about anyone but you!”

“You haven’t…you haven’t made any real friends yet in Washington?” Bryce’s breath tickled Dan’s ear now.

“No!” Bryce spat. “It still hurts. I’m supposed to be Ian’s tonight, and he’s terrible!” Bryce jumped up and down, shaking Dan a little, not loosening his grip on him. “Please! You’re the only one who’s nice enough to save me!”

“Bryce, I can’t take you home with me!”

“Dan, please, I’ll do anything!” Bryce’s voice was becoming haggard. “I’ll sleep on your front porch!”

“No!” Dan pushed Bryce, and his clingy arms gave. He faced the young National, whose eyes were the loneliest blue. He opened his mouth to say something else but was then interrupted.

Jason Heyward walked in, one hand on his side. He was on the disabled list recovering from an emergency appendectomy he’d had a few days ago, and both Dan and Bryce knew it. He was fragile – but Bryce didn’t care.

He turned on Jason. “Hey,” he said angrily, “get out!”

Jason’s eyes went wide, and a hand went to his chest. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He stopped a few paces into the room, and didn’t appear to be going anywhere.

After staring Jason down for a few brief seconds Bryce then realized this. But before Dan could defend him Bryce jumped forward and punched Jason square in the stomach with a vicious undercut, reflecting the powerful emotions that were coursing through him.

Jason immediately fell to his knees, crumpling to the ground as he clutched at his stomach.

Dan could only gape in shock as Bryce turned back around to face him. “Dan,” he started, but was interrupted as Freddie Freeman, Jason’s husband, came into the room.

“Jason!!” Freddie cried in terror as his husband lay helpless at his feet. Freddie fell to his knees and took Jason’s head into his arms. “Oh Jason, no!” he whimpered as he pulled him close.

“Bryce,” Dan said, a menacing tone to his voice, “get out.”

“But Dan, I-”

“I said, get out. I won’t put up with you coming in here and doing this to my teammates, my family. You’re not one of us and we are not together. I don’t love you, so go away and stay away!”

Dan’s words stayed Bryce’s anger for a moment, but the hard, black lump that was his heart did not soften or change at all. “You know I’m coming back,” he replied stonily. “I’ll never stop at you.”

Dan ignored him and ran off to get help for Jason, who was still lying on the floor in Freddie’s arms. He took one last look at their foreheads pressed together before he disappeared into another hallway. His animosity toward Bryce grew with each hurried step he took.

 

Jason ended up going to the hospital, but once there, they were able to give him some medication and revive him. He was in fairly stable condition after that, much to the relief of his teammates. The blow had hurt him terribly, but no more damage could have been done since his appendix had already been removed.

But the story floating around the clubhouse now wasn’t Jason’s health. It was what had caused this episode with him in the first place. And both Jason and Freddie were very eager to know once they got a chance to ask Dan.

Paul Janish joined the three by a locker, coming up to stand beside Dan while he explained it to the young couple. “He’s been obsessed with me ever since I rescued him that one night,” Dan told them in a low voice. “Keeps saying I’m the only one who ‘loves’ him. It’s because no one treats him with any amount of respect in Washington. All they do is take advantage of him.”

Jason and Freddie had surprised looks on their faces. Paul added, “He’s so desperate to get Dan…he tried to kill me.”

“What?!” They both cried.

“It’s true,” Dan confirmed. “He was going to kill Paul if I hadn’t gotten there just in time.”

“He saved Bryce, then he had to save me from Bryce,” Paul added. “I still have terrible dreams about him sometimes.”

“Just be on your guard,” Dan told Jason and Freddie. “He tends to…sneak around and pop up at times you wouldn’t like.”

 

The next night, the Braves won again. It was a no-doubter, as the team scored eight runs all by the sixth.

Bryce Harper was devastated. And not only because they lost, but because his teammates were all going to vent all their emotions on him mercilessly to try and make themselves forget.

But Bryce would never forget. He couldn’t; his back, sides, and legs were terrible testimonies of all the abuse he’d endured at their cruel hands. 

_And for what?_ He thought as he silently crept along a dark hallway on his way over to the Braves’ clubhouse. He’d been pitying himself quite a bit that day, ever since Dan’s ‘I don’t love you’ speech.

Bryce didn’t believe it. He knew he still needed Dan, and that Dan was better off loving him than that spineless little Paul.

_Paul…_

Whenever he thought of Paul he just got downright angry. Or maybe angry was putting it mildly. He was livid, he was full of rage, he was…

On fire.

And without even realizing it, he was feeling that way again, right at this moment.

He envisioned Paul, and then felt like reaching up, wrapping his hands around that soft little throat, and…

He heard a sigh instead of a choke. Someone was alone in the locker room up ahead.

Bryce poked his head in the doorway. And who should it be but the one person he was looking for.

Without ceremony Bryce suddenly appeared in the doorway, spooking Paul. The shortstop jumped, staring at him with big, brown eyes. He was so defenseless, so vulnerable…

Bryce didn’t think to bring a weapon this time. So he did what every instinct in his body told him to do – he pounced. 

His hands went straight to Paul’s throat as Paul’s hands came up to stop Bryce. Bryce tried to squeeze as hard as he could but Paul was squirming and struggling underneath him so violently it was difficult. Paul kicked, jumped, punched, and pushed at Bryce until they both fell to the floor, where Bryce easily maneuvered himself on top of Paul and managed to hold him flat for a few moments.

By now Paul was gasping for breath loudly as Bryce’s hold on him tightened. He realized his own attacks were becoming weaker. He tried to knee Bryce, but it was no good. His air was nearly completely cut off –

When he thought he heard a noise amid Bryce’s snarls.

“Hey!” Freddie Freeman’s voice said. “What’s going on?”

Just as Freddie appeared in the doorway, with Jason Heyward at his heels, Paul could no longer breathe. His eyes closed tightly, thinking of nothing but his teammates.  
Freddie and Jason immediately threw themselves at Bryce and tried to pull him off Paul. There was a great struggle; but there was no way Bryce could keep Paul pinned _and_ hold off two angry Braves who were both six-foot-five. Paul tried to gasp for breath the whole time as Freddie and Jason grabbed each of Bryce’s arms and yanked them off Paul as he squirmed and kicked.

Paul thought he would never be able to inhale again, coughing as he lay on the floor. But then Bryce fell over him as he went for Jason’s stomach, for a second time. He connected, and Jason limply fell backwards.

“No!” Freddie cried as he went for Bryce, new fire in him. Freddie leaped across Paul’s body and threw his fist as hard as he could into Bryce’s face.

He hit his mark, and Bryce flailed backwards, landing in a heap on top of Jason, motionless.

Freddie scrambled to his feet. He didn’t know what to do at first. Paul lay there, coughing and struggling for breath, and Jason lay gasping in pain underneath the unconscious Bryce.

He ran out to the showers to get help.

He returned a moment later with Dan, Chris Johnson, Mike Minor, and Brandon Beachy. Then he ran to Jason’s side and peeled him out from under Bryce, whose eyes were starting to flutter.

“Jason,” Freddie said to him urgently as he tried to lift him up, “Jason?”

Jason’s hands were on his stomach, and Freddie could tell he was in pain. But pain was much better than nothing. Pain meant he was alive.

“F-Freddie,” Jason mumbled. Freddie pressed him close.

As Freddie woke Jason up Dan rushed to Paul, and the other three Braves who had also come saw to Bryce (after a warning from Dan, of course).

“Dan,” Paul said weakly as he came to him.

“I’m here,” Dan said. “You’ll be alright.” He helped Paul up.

As the Braves were revived so was Bryce Harper, still mean and angry as ever. But when he saw Dan, and the other Braves, his face softened.

“Dan,” he started feebly, but Dan held up a hand.

“Bryce,” he said, “I won’t deal with this anymore. You leave me and my teammates alone. We have nothing to do with you.”

“I love you and you know it!” Bryce cried, his bright blue eyes darkening. Mike held his saggy arms back as he sat on the floor. All eyes were on Dan now.

“You can’t possibly love me,” Dan replied heavily, “if you do this to the ones I love.” His voice dropped off softly as he moved forward toward Bryce slowly. His intense blue eyes focused on the young National as he grabbed the hem of his black shirt.

He pulled it off, with Mike’s help.

There they all saw the testimonies of the terrible abuse he’d endured, and all but Dan gasped quietly. Bruises, welts, and other big, purple splotches and scars covered him. What hurt Dan most was the fact that he knew Bryce wanted to do that to Paul and the others, and worse – he wanted them dead.

“You can’t love me if you can’t love my teammates.” Dan threw the shirt back to Bryce, who hung his head. “Now, get out and stay out.” Dan turned his back, going to Paul and taking his hands, as Mike and Johnson led Bryce by his hands out the door.

 

They came to a stop outside, in the Braves’ dugout, where there was no one around to hear or see them. It was totally dark, and it was raining.

Mike and Johnson shoved Bryce away, out into the downpour, without a word.

He probably sat there still for the next hour, just thinking, while he was drenched in a growing puddle. His hair flattened down over his forehead. 

The water streaming down his face might as well have been tears.

He debated his life, and the many twists and turns it had taken. He knew it shouldn’t be like this. He thought he might not be alone, even though thoughts of Dan always made him feel alone.

There had to be a way, he told himself, a way to make Dan love him. _Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? ___

It sure didn’t seem like it now, and Bryce had no idea how it would all play out. 


End file.
